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The origin of an unusual sex chromosome constitution in Acomys sp. (Rodentia, Muridae) from Tanzania

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Abstract

This paper describes a case which presents an evident variation from the “standard” XX/XY sex chromosomal constitution in a rodent, Acomys sp. This species known to be found in three localities of East Africa has only recently been separated from A. spinosissimus, its closest relative. In our study, five specimens of Acomys sp. and eight specimens of A. spinosissimus were live-trapped in five localities. Comparisons between the two taxa assed by G- banding show a complete homology in the chromosomal shape and banding pattern for 29 pairs of chromosomes corresponding to the complete autosomal set of A. spinosissimus. However, while all the A. spinosissimus analysed have 2n = 60 and a XY-XX system, in Acomys sp. males and females constitute mosaics for sex chromosomes in the bone marrow cells. Females (2n = 59, 60) have an excess (97%) of aneuploid cells with one single giant X chromosome, and males (2n = 60, 61) show X0/XY cells occurring in somatic tissues and XY cells in the germinal lineage. In addition, an odd heterochromatic submetacentric chromosome was identified in all the cells examined in two males and a female of Acomys sp. Since this chromosome was not related to sex determination and it is not present in all the analysed specimens, it can be considered as a B chromosome. Finally, the in situ fluorescence hybridisation (FISH) with telomeric probes showed a very intense interstitial telomeric signal (ITS) at the medial part on the long heterochromatic arm of the X chromosome. This could be due to recent chromosomal rearrangement.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by a European Union, 5th framework RTD Program “Staplerat”, Progetti d’Ateneo (MC). We thanks Ernesto Capanna for helpful suggestion on an early version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, via A. Borelli 50, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Riccardo Castiglia & Marco Corti

  2. Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3110, Morogoro, Tanzania

    Rhodes Makundi

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  1. Riccardo Castiglia
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  2. Rhodes Makundi
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  3. Marco Corti
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Correspondence to Riccardo Castiglia.

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Castiglia, R., Makundi, R. & Corti, M. The origin of an unusual sex chromosome constitution in Acomys sp. (Rodentia, Muridae) from Tanzania. Genetica 131, 201–207 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-006-9127-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-006-9127-0

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